Vehicles that are operable in various modes have been a desire since the Wright brothers' first flight. In one example, a multi-modal vehicle (“MMV”) could be configured to drive on- and off-road like a Sports Utility Vehicle (“SUV”), transform into a Vertical Take-Off/Land aircraft (“VTOL,” for example, a helicopter), and transition, in flight, into a fast and efficient cruise, fixed-wing aircraft. In another example, an SUV could transform into a watercraft. The ability to transition between SUV and aircraft and/or watercraft opens a wide range of possibilities for the future of civilian travel and would be of great military advantage.
However, there are several technological challenges to overcome in creating such an MMV. Some efforts have been made in this area; however, known conventional MMVs lack fully automated, true multi-modal functionality. These known MMVs are in essence, an assemblage of the various components of each desired vehicle type, where one or more components are retrofitted to the MMV. Therefore, the known MMVs that have been reduced to practice are predominately a land vehicle with some aircraft functionalities or vice versa. Other known MMV designs are only concepts on paper due to technical challenges, such as: (1) an inability to incorporate all functional components of an MMV into a single vehicle under the stringent size and weight constraints; (2) lack of sufficient control or inability to maintain stability in the VTOL configuration and during transition to the aircraft configuration; (3) safety concerns during this transition and/or propulsion failures; and (4) fuel inefficiency.
Thus, there remains a need for an MMV design that integrates the various functionalities of various modes of travel in a unique and novel way that is fully automated, safe, and fuel efficient.